Session 2007-056 with Ho-Ho-Kus Public School

Application

The School

The Class

Subjects Taught

Science

Grades Taught

5th Grade

Number of Students

60

The Project

Project Title

Microworlds

Insects To Study

< LEFT BLANK >

Project Description

As an enrichment component to our larger inquiry based science unit on microscopes, Bugscope will provide the students with an opportunity to engage in an authentic learning experience that will help the students understand the value of high powered microscopes. In addition, because the students will be responsible for gathering insect specimens and preparing them for shipment, they will assume the role of a professional who is contributing to a greater body of knowledge.
As a means to share our participation in this project, articles will be submitted to the local newspapers and the school newspaper. In addition, all the students will be provided with the URL of the Bugscope site to share this activity with their families.
Thank you in advance for your consideration of this application. Hope to hear from you soon.

Miscellaneous

Where did you hear about Bugscope?

We have participated in Bugscope for many years! I believe our first year with the project was 2002!

Live Session Transcript

Connected on 2007-10-26 11:00:00 from Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ, US

10:44am

Bugscope TeamI am going to run up for food in a minute

Bugscope Teamok

Bugscope Teampresets are done. we are ready for the session.

10:52am

Teacherhi there, just checking in

Bugscope Teamwelcome to bugscope!

Bugscope Teami've just unlocked the session, you can start practicing if you want.

TeacherI still have to get set up with my students---we'd be ready to start at about 11:10 your time...

Bugscope Teamsounds good.

Bugscope Teamif you have any questions or problems just let us know if we can help.

TeacherI'm just going to cruise around a bit..

Bugscope TeamMs J is this the first time you have worked with this interface?

Bugscope Teamcoolness, the scope is all yours ms. j

TeacherNo, I think I used it during our session this past June

Bugscope TeamIt should be a little better, more responsive

Teacheryeah, I had some trouble the last time with it now that I recall

Teacherwow this is so much better!

Bugscope Team:)

Bugscope Teamyou have seen us through bad and good

TeacherI've been doing bugscope with the 5th grade for many years now--I think this is year 5?

Bugscope TeamChas put this together, and he started working for us when he was a sophomore in high school

Bugscope Teamthis is where we would be able to see bacteria, if there are any

Bugscope TeamNice!

Bugscope Teamms. j, you RULE at controlling the scope.

Studentcould the eye still work if one of the "eyes" is poked out?

Bugscope Teamthe microscope is parfocal, so if you were to take the mag down you would still be in focus as long as oyu did not move

Bugscope Teamyes if one eye was poked out or obscured there are a lot of other ones to take its place

Studentewww

Bugscope Teamthe brain is largely devoted to optic nerves -- to visual processing -- in a lot of flies

Bugscope Teamcompound eyes have poor resolution in general, however they are GREAT for detecting fast moving, like other bugs and such. compound eyes also have a very WIDE angle of view, so they can see lots of stuff.

Bugscope Teamsome insects can also see in the ultraviolet -- out of the range of visible light

12:40pm

Bugscope Teamwe cannot see in the ultraviolet

Bugscope Teamsome eyes like fly eyes have almost 360 degree view

Bugscope Teamthis is the edge of the fly tongue

Studentlots of screaming

Bugscope Teamthe eye to the left (the right eye) is busted

Bugscope Teamme too! ahhhh!!!!!!!

Studentyuk

Bugscope TeamCate is such a savage she must have dropped the fly

Bugscope Teami didnt do it before you blame me scott >.>

Bugscope Teamon the top of the head are the antennae

Bugscope Teamtoo late Cate

Bugscope Teamwow! the compound eye is cracked! very interesting.

Bugscope TeamActually I don't know how you would do this on purpose

Bugscope Team*sigh*

Studentshould I use the + or - to focus?

Bugscope Teamso you know I was just teasing Cate

Bugscope Team+

Bugscope Teamit's hard to know which one. try one, if it gets worse, then use the other.

Bugscope Team'cause I just tried it

Bugscope Teamcool

Bugscope TeamNice!

Bugscope Teamwow, i've never seen a cracked compound eye before, this is sweet!

Bugscope Teamthis is a good opportunity to see what is inside

Bugscope Teamwow

12:45pm

Bugscope TeamIt looks fibrous

Studentis that muscle under the eye?

Bugscope Teamare those muscle fibers under the facets?

Bugscope TeamI imagine those are lots of nerve bundles

Bugscope Teamthey have to be linked well to the brain

Studentthis is really cool

Bugscope Teamyeah, that makes sense, they don't need muslces there, they just need nerves to send the signals to the brain....

Bugscope Teami'm guessing though. i'm not a biologist.

Bugscope Teamyou know the ommatidia looked more like lenses than I had thought -- like little crystals

Bugscope Teameeeeuw

Studentwhat is this?

Bugscope Teamthis is one of the spiracles

Bugscope Team this is an airhole

Bugscope Teamthis is what insects breathe trhough

Bugscope Teamthrough

Studentis this on the mouth?

Bugscope Teamgopod question, but no, spiracles are usually on the body of insects.

Bugscope Teamthere are usually two on each body segment, on either side

Bugscope Teamno it is just on a body segment

Bugscope Teamwe have to remember that insects have an exoskeleton, which means the hard bony part of the body is on the outside

Bugscope Teamimagine if you breathed through a hole on the side of your body. cool huh?

Bugscope Teamyou can see its butt

Bugscope Teamit is like if you were wearing armor all of the time

12:51pm

Bugscope Teamif you were wearing armor you would not be able to use the nerve endings in your skin to feel what might be touching you

Bugscope Teamoo good analogy

Bugscope Teamso you would want something to stick through the armor that would send a touch or smell message to your skin

Bugscope Teamthat's why insects have the setae (hairs) that stick through the armour. those setae help the insect to sense it's environemnt. yeah, scott, good analogy, you are on fire today!

Studentgood one!

Bugscope Teamand also you would want to be able to breathe through your armor

Studentok, we have another group coming in...give us a few minutes.

Bugscope Teamwhich is what spiracle are for

Bugscope Teamspiracles

Studentthis will be our last group, too.

Bugscope Teamok, this is fun.

Bugscope Teaminsects can close their spiracles and hold their breath, like if you put then in the microscope alive they would just hold their breath until you let them out again